Introduction [Management ccontrolling and governance of family businesses]

Families are the elementary communities that constitute society. Their dynamics involve emotions and interests which are shaped in family members’ relations. Families often believe in core values, which influence, and are influenced by, the social context around them. When a family is involved in a business enterprise, the latter expresses the view of the family, and its aptitude to survive and develop over time is mostly the consequence of the family dynamics and of the ability of the family to absorb the culture and values of the social context where the business is born and develops. Therefore, the family and the business form a unitary system of forces where economical and emotional concerns are merged. The aptitude of a family business to survive and develop depends on the ability of the family to acquire managerial and financial culture and to speak and listen to financial language. Dedicated to our families.